Weapons dating back to World War II era found in Samut Songkhram province

SAMUT SONGKHRAM, 4 July 2014- Cases of war weapons left discarded in remote areas have resurfaced again, as perpetrators fear heavy punishment under the military court.

Three anti-tank missiles dating back to the World War II era have been found dumped in a canal in Samut Songkhram province. The warheads were first spotted by local shrimp farmers, who then immediately notified the Provincial Police and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team.

So far only one missile was retrieved, and the other two were still left in the canal. The recovered missile measured 12 inches long with a diameter of 3 inches and had a blast radius of 300 meters. Historically, the area was a target of bombings by WW II Allied Powers to expel Japanese soldiers.

Elsewhere in Rayong province, RPGs and several rounds of ammunition were found stashed in a rubber tree forest in the Map Ta Phut Subdistrict. The findings also included two Aka rifles, tear gas, smoke bombs, 10 throwing grenades, and bullets. Authorities are now in the process of finding the owners so that they could be brought to justice.